117-year old Church gutted in fire in Shillong, elderly couple dies

November 17: A massive fire broke out at the 117-year old Church of God at Qualapatty in Shillong at around 4 AM on Sunday. The fire at the Church of God, which was set up in 1902 is believed to have started from a spark in its electrical wiring as the building was undergoing large-scale repair work.

An elderly couple died when a century-old church and an adjacent house in Meghalaya’s capital were gutted in the devastating fire. The couple, residing in the house, could have died of asphyxiation and a preliminary investigation has ruled out vandalism, police said.

East Khasi Hills district SP Claudia Lyngwa said the incident was reported at around 4 am and three fire tenders
were pressed into service to douse the blaze. Fire tenders had a tough time reaching the spot as the road leading to the church is very narrow. It took a few hours to contain the fire, but the entire church building was razed by then.

Meghalaya’s Chief Minister Conrad Sangma wrote on his Facebook page: “My prayers for the deceased and the Church of God family.”